This series of questions is directed only at Brent. While I wouldn’t mind an answer from Adrian Gideon...I wanted to pick the brain of “the new guy in charge”...
Brent,
First off...congrats again on the promotion. I hope you are out at Origins!
This has been on my mind, as well as many (probably hundreds of) others, for the past few years. While I know Catalyst’s normal response is to not answer directly, I think I speak for everyone that being the new guy in charge, we’d love to know what are your plans, directly or indirectly, with Battletech. Sorry it's so long...but it is what it is.
I have not had any interaction with you, other than to tell you my experience with the most recent dice sale, so I’d love to hear what you have in store for us. Although I’m not a Catalyst employee...I have a unique position being between a normal Battletech Player, and a Catalyst employee by being an online retailer & quite active socially (although not as much as I’d like to be sometimes).
Not sure if you know who I am, and no this isn’t an advertisement and yes my signature & Avatar give it away...but I sell Catalyst products on my online website. Granted my main bread & butter is Iron Wind Metals items as well as The Army Painter stuff & Reaper Miniatures paints. But I have my ear turned towards the community, sometimes more than some of the people realize. Yeah, sure...most of the complaints or compliments are the same as here on the forums...but sometimes I get more of a descriptive answer (hate and swears included)...that we don’t get to see here in the forums.
So the following series of questions has been built up over time. It’s to help you realize, if you didn’t already, where we as a community stand on certain issues. Just don’t shoot the messenger. I love this game, have since it came out and I bought my first book & miniature back in 1985! I can literally remember the day my mom took me in to my first game store & I found TRO 3025 and the “Fat Boy” Atlas.
With all that in mind...it’s time to see where you stand, pick your brain, get to know you..and have you layout what you can...for us to devour with either envy...or hatred.
While we all know that someday, there will probably be an ilClan (if we like it or not), and someday the Home World Clans will come back, the Fed Suns could die, Kell Hound could disappear, and the Mani Domini could re-appear...we would all love to know what’s going to happen over the next few years or so...so here goes:
Hopefully you will be able to answer the following as best as you can. While I realize some answers will HAVE to be a bit vague, which has always been Catalysts nature...we would LOVE for you to be a bit more direct if you can:
- For the remainder of 2017, what can you tell us is in store for the the Inner Sphere & Inner Sphere Clans. I know some has already been divulged, but perhaps we can sum it all up in to this thread rather than a bit in thread a, and another bit in thread x, and more in thread yyy.
- What can we expect will happen, both in the Inner Sphere, as well as the Home World Clans...in the coming year (2018) without completely spoiling any plot lines?
- Where do YOU PERSONALLY see Battletech going under your reign as Lead Developer for the next year?
- What about in the next 3 years?
- And the next 5?
Now...for us that don’t know you, let’s get it over with:
- While I realize you wouldn’t be where you are unless you liked the game, are you PASSIONATE about Battletech?
- When did you get your start in the game, how long have you been playing?
- Aside from your Avatar, what are your favorite Houses, Clans, and other groups?
- Doesn’t matter if it is something that does make it through, or gets trashed as a bad idea….as a fan of the game, what do YOU want to see happen in the Inner Sphere Houses, Clans, and Home World Clans?
- As I’m sure you have a personal life outside Catalyst...do you play still? If so...with who? Anyone from the company or these boards? What about belonging to a group in your area? Etc.
Now, for the more direct questions you most likely cannot answer but need to be brought up because people are getting pretty tired of waiting. I don’t mean just tired...some are getting plain sick of things being pushed back over & over, or the refusal to answer ANYTHING about the question they asked:
- Will we see more printed material on the Home World Clans, in the Dark Age, in the next year or two? (this is currently a big complaint from us Clan loving guys!)
- Will we get novels about the Home World Clans during the Wars of Reaving? Many, many, many of us WANT THESE BOOKS!
- There is a LOT of us, some more so than others, that are still waiting on ilClan. I think it’s safe to say that this book has become the “not named book” if you’ll excuse the play on words for this game. We’ve been told numerous times it’s coming soon...but never materialized. Is this book going to come out this year as previously planned...or has it been pushed back yet again? TONS of people are pretty mad about this book not being out yet.
- Where did the Kell Hounds go?
- Will we EVER know who knocked out the HPG network?
- Can you give us more details, or possibly hints, about the markings that were on their mechs? If I recall, it was something like a sword, with a snake coiled around it, and I think a sunburst or something like that (think Blood Spirit sunburst icon comes to mind as the description was written for some reason).
- Is there anything left of the Word of Blake as far as the actual group? i.e. I don’t mean their technology, I mean the actual people that formed the Word.
- Will Clan Wolverine ever make a comeback, or will they always be the boogeyman for the Clans?
- Will there be another Box Set...and will there be a Clan version of it, or maybe a combo box set? This is a MASSIVE complaint for a LOT of people. While I understand the logistics of what happened to the old box set...people make a good point about it’s replacement not being available. You’re losing out on new gamers trying to break into this game by not having an Intro Box Set out there! I’ve personally had 10+ requests from NEW PLAYERS wanting to break into the game, and they all want an Intro Box Set.
- Now, the hardest question of all...what happened with the Valkyrie & Wasp? There are a TON of rumors, and I’ve tried to help control them, but obviously a ton of people thing Harmony Gold has something to do with it. You guys have been pretty silent on the matter, which has only made things worse. Can you elaborate AT ALL on their status, as well as the status of the remainder of the “Classic” `Mechs?
- On the coming release page...there has been some products on there for a VERY long time. The XTRO and TRO’s come to mind. When will these get released? Perhaps we as a community are wrong, but we alway thought that once they were “announced” on that page...they will be out at some point. Well, that may still be true, but some of those products have been there for probably a year or more. What’s the holdup?
Thank you for your time Brent. I realize being in the position I’m in, I have a bit more clarity than some on a few of these subjects, but I also have the unique position as I said to be between the rumor & sometimes the facts which at times I cannot divulge (such as I knew about the pulling of the Valkyrie before anyone else in the public, but I wasn’t able to say anything because it wasn’t announced yet).
At the end of the day, I’m a fan just like a ton of other people, always have been...always will. I just don’t want to see this game lose people out of frustration because their favorite products aren’t appearing, or are constantly pushed back, as well as lack of communication such as the Classic art issues. Hopefully you will be an active face of the company like Adrian Gideon is, as well as some of the other “Battlemasters” that float around here.
Feel free to PM me if needed...I won't mind.
Thanks!